Latch



R. MARPLE July 13, 1943.

LATCH Original Filed July l 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l Illlllllllllllllll l75;@ ZZa Nar/w76. MM2@ INVENTOR fallan Y5.

ATTO

R. MARPLE July 13, 1943.

LATCH Original Filed July l 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l me- Ya INVENTORFal/0 f'dffZ. BY

ATTO

July 13, 1943.

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llllll R. MARPLE LATCH original Fil'ed July 1, 1940 M 224mb@ 3Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Y FZZ ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 13, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LALTCH Continuationof application Serial No. 343,341, `Iuly 1, 1940. This applicationOctober 13, 1942,

Serial No. 461,861

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to latches, and in particular is directedto the provision of an improved latch embodying a bolt of the rotary;ype. The present structure represents an imorovement upon thearrangement generically :laimed in applicants copending applicationSerial No. 308,511, filed December 1l, 1939 (now atent No. 2,301,560 ofNovember 10, 1942), and his application is a continuation of applicants.lopending application Serial No. 343,341, filed 'filly 1, 1940 (nowabandoned).

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide animproved latch of the above indicated character, which is simple inconstruction, economical of manufacture, and which is positive andreliable in operation; to provide such an arrangement embodying alocking member which can be moved from a retracted to a lockingposition, in which latter position it positively prevents movement ofthe bolt in a door opening direction; to provide such an arrangementwherein a movement of the bolt occasioned by a closing of the associateddoor restores the locking member to the retracted position; and

to provide such an arrangement wherein the locking member is operablyresponsive to one of the latch operating means, such as the insidehandle.

With the above as well as other objects in view,

which appear in the following description and in 2 the appended claims,a preferred but illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings throughout the several views of whichcorresponding reference characters are used to designate correspondingparts Fig. 6 is a view, taken along the line 6 6 of z Fig.2;

Fi-g. 7 is a view, taken along the line 'l-1 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view, taken along the line'8--8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a detail View, taken along the line 9-9 of Fig. 6; and

Figs. 10 and 11, respectively, are perspective views showing certainelements of the latch in separated and relatively assembled relations.

Referring to the drawings, the present latch comprises generally a bolt20, having a series of equiangularly spaced toothlike keeper engagingprojections 20a, 20h, 20c and 20d; and a keeper, designated as a wholeas 22. The bolt 20 and its associated parts are assembled within acasing having a plate-like cover 24 and an inner or base portion 26. Thecasing members 24 and 26 are secured together in any suitable way andare secured to the associated door 28 (Fig. 1) with the case platemembers 24 and 26 lying generally parallel to the rail of the door. Aswill be understood, the rail may be suitably recessed or other- Wiseformed to receive the casing, and the casing is provided with suitablebolt openings, such as 30, to receive Aattaching screws or bolts. Thekeeper 22 is suitably secured to the door pillar 34. As most .clearlyappears in Figs. 3 and 6, the outer casing member 24 is interrupted inthe lower portion thereof, so as to define an opening or pocket intowhich a tooth of the bolt 20 projects and which pocket receives thekeeper 22 when the associated door 28 is in the closed position. Thejust-mentioned pocket is provided with a supporting abutment 3'6,between which and the bolt 20, the keeper 22 is wedged when the door isfully closed, so that the present construction affords both a latchingand a dovetail action.

The keeper assembly 22 may, and preferably does, duplicate thearrangement described and claimed in applicants Patent No. 2,195,179,granted March 26, 1940. As is described in more detail in thejust-mentioned patent, the keeper comprises generally a retractablelinger 38 and an abutment surface 40. During a closing movement of theparts, the bolt moves t-o the right relative to the keeper, as viewed inFig. 3, during which movement the finger 38 is retractable by the bolt,allowing the latter to pass thereover without interference. Thecontinued door closing movement brings the just-mentioned bolt toothinto engagement with the abutment 40, enabling the latter to rotate thebolt and bring the next successive bolt tooth into engagement with therear face of the abutment. During an opening movement of the door, thebolt is free to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, as describedbelow, and rolls over the abutment 40 and the finger 38 much in therelation of a gear and rack.

In the present instance, the bolt 20 is rotatably supported upon a pin50, the respectively opposite ends whereof are secured to the casingmembers 24 and 26, and which pin is so positioned that in each holdingposition of the bolt, one tooth thereof projects into the previouslymentioned pocket for cooperation with the keeper assembly 22, asdescribed above.

The means for controlling the rotation of the bolt 20 comprises avertically slidable wedge 52, one lower edge 53 whereof is tapered, asclearly appears in Figs. 3, 4, 5, l and 1l. The wedge 52 is adapted tobe vertically moved between the latching position, shown in Fig. 3, andthe retracted position, shown i-n 5, by means of the illustrativeoutside handle 54 and the correspondingly illustrative inside handle 55.The wedge 52 is received between the case plate members 24 and 25, andis also provided with additional guiding means comprising the guides 58and 60. The guides 58 and 58 are secured to the member 26 and projecttherefrom towards the member 24.

When it occupies the latching position, the tapered face 53 of the wedge52 lies in front of and in blocking relation to a tooth (designated 2MinFig. 3) oi the bolt 29, and is thus effective to prevent acounterclockwise or door opening rotation of such bolt. As describedbelow, the

wedge 52 is urged downwardly by a spring, and with this relation, itwill be appreciated that the wedge acts to continuously urge the bolt2|)V in a clockwise or door latching direction, thus a'ifording thetake-up action described in more detail in the above-identifiedcopending application,

The housing space between the members 24 and 26 also receives agenerally L-shaped retracting' member and a locking member 72. Thelocking member l2 is provided with a laterally turned flange 'M betweenwhich and the guide 58 the retracting member lil vis guided." Thelocking member l2 in turn extends between the previously mentioned guideSe and an additional guide surface 16, also secured to the casing member26, it being understood that the inner edge of the guide 58 is spacedfrom the inner face of the member 24 far enough to accommodate themember 12. The locking member 'l2 thus lies behi-nd the wedge 52 and theretracting member as viewed in Figs. 3 and e, and directly engages andslides upon the inner face o1" the housing member 213. The lockingmember i2 has .laterally oiset body p0rtions I3 and "i5, which formsupporting surfaces, respectively, for the wedge 5?. and the retractingmember '18. Y approximately the "thickness of the leg 55 on wedge 52,-so that such leg normally lies behind the leg H8 of member lt, and suchleg |18 lies above thek shoulder 1.9 4formed on wedge 52.

. At Vthe end oi its, leg H8, the retracting member'l is provided withalatelallyfturned ear ,'FB,

which is normally received betv ',/e.e'""a rollback member 88 `,and abiasing member There-llback member BQ is provided with hub portions 84and 85,- vvhich' are rotatablyjournalled respectively" in supplementalcase platev members 88'and 93, which members are rigidly secured to andproject inwardly of the door from the casing members 24 and 26. with asquared opening which receives the usual squared spindle 52, to whichthe previously mentioned outside handlel is connected. In order tonormally bias the rollback 8S to the position shown in Fig. 6, in which'position the outside handle 54 is horizontal', the member 8()v islprovided with a spiral spring 94, one end whereof is hooked into thebody oiA the rollback, and the other end whereof is hookedjover a stopbracket S5. rlhe biasing lever 82 is pivotally mounted upon a pin HEB,whichV extends between the case plate members t8 and 9B, and is providedwith a biasing spring ISE, which continuously urges it in acounter'clockwise direction, so as to enable the free' end thereof tourge the member lil downwardly. By the engagement between leg ||8 ofmember 'l5 and shoulder 79 on wedge 52, the downward force on member l-'is transmitted to wedge`52.

The portions 'I3 andv 'l5 are offsetv The rollback 8G is provided Thelocking member 12 is provided with a notch having an upper surface |04and a lower surface |06, which notch receives the end |08 of a bellcranklever I, which lever is pivotally supported upon a bracket by a pin ||2.The other end of the lever |||l is pivotally connected to a link Hl,which extends to and is connected to the inside handle 5S. Theconnection between the link I4 and the handle 56 is preferably arranged,as shown, for example, in Grund et al. Patent No. 1,760,491, so that theinside handle is normally biased to a so-called normal position in whichthe lever H5 occupies the position shown in Fig. 6. Suitable springmea-ns associated with the justmentioned connection is operative torestore the handle to the normal position after it is movedin aretracting direction. The connection is further such that if the handleis moved in a non-retracting or locking direction, it is releasably heldVin the locking position by a detent action. f

The end |08 of the inside lever ||0lalso overlies a shoulder |5 formedon the retracting meniber T0 and member 10, in turn, is provided withan. outwardly struck portion l5, which normally eri-- gages below theleg 55 of the wedge 52, which leg lies behind leg IS of member 10, asbest` appears in Figs. 6, 9, l0 and l1.. It will be understood,therefore, that if the inside leve-r Il) isrocked in a clockwisedirection, as view-ed in Fig. 6, such`V movement through the shoulder 5elevatesv the retracting member 10. Thela'tter movement,

through the offest portion 6, elevates the wedgeV also be drawn upwardlyto the retracted position.

by rotating the rollback 3Q inA aY clockwise direction, as viewed inFig. 6, which also elevates meinber 'l0 and, consequently,v elevateswedge 52.

Thus, either the, insidev handle 56l or hthe outsidek handle 54mayY berotated in the usual way-,so

to lift the wedge, 52 out of holding relation tothe bolt, enabling thedoor to be opened.

The lowerend of Vthelocking member. l2 isformed as a locking member |20and, in response-sg to rotation of the inside lever |I|| ina.counterclockwise direction, asV viewed in Fig-{Giwhieh movement resultsfroma. nron-reti:actingVIV mores, ment of the inside handle 56)-, thelocking ber 12 is moved downwardly, bringing-ime-v portion |2Eifrom theposition shown in VFig. which it does not interfere with the rotationA othe bolt, to the locking position;shownL in Fig. in which it liesdirectly in thefpath of the'bolt-2,0;V opening movement ofthe doorinvolves a calma. terclockwise rotation of the bolt 29, as viewediiin,Fig. 4, and by blocking such rotation, the locking member 1,2 isoperative to. prevent;anopening;`

As previously mentioned, the insiderusr1-ugj5 preferably arranged sothat it is releasably held in either the normal or the unlockedposition. If desired, and as illustrated, however, additional detentmechanism may be associated with the locking member iii. This detentmechanism comprises a spring-like member |22, which is secured to theinner face of the casing member 24 and is provided with a boss |24adapted to enter either of a pair of openings |26 and |28 in the lockingmember '12. It will be understood that the boss |24 is received in theopening |25l when the locking member l2 is in the unlocked position andis received in the opening |28 when the locking member l2 is in thelocked position.

Considering now the operation of the system as a whole, it will beappreciated that the parts are shown in Figs. 3 and 6 in the normal orlatched condition thereof, in which the lever 82 is effective to holdthe wedge 52 in its lower or holding position, thus biasing the bolt 2Bin a #2.

clockwise or locking direction of rotation and enabling the tooth,designated 28o in Fig. 3, to bear against the keeper and wedge the sameinto engagement with the supporting dovetail surface 33.

Assuming it is desired to open the door, the outside rollback Bil may berotated in a clockwise direction, thereby elevating the wedge 52 out ofholding engagement to the bolt, as shown Fig. 5. The same movement maybe caused by rotating the inside lever i i il in a clockwise direction,in either of which events, the upward movement of the wedge 52 isresisted by the lever 32 and the spring lili?. In the event the movementof the wedge is caused by the inside lever H9, the spring Sil,associated with the rollback SQ, retains it in the normal position shownin Fig. 6.

Upon movement of the wedge 52 to the elevated position of Fig. 5, thelatch assembly and consequently the door may freely be moved to theleft, as viewed in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, relative to the keeper 22, duringwhich movement the bolt 2) rotates in a counterclockwise direction androlls across the keeper surfaces.

The handle 55%, or the handle as the case may be, is released as soon asthe bolt 2|] passes out of cooperative relation to the keeper 22, atwhich time the spring |62 and the lever 82 are operative to again forcethe wedge 52 downwardly to the holding position shown in Fig. 3.

If the door is now moved towards the closed position, the bolt 29initially engages the spring nger 33 of the keeper, moving it to theretracted position, and thereafter engages the leading face of thekeeper abutment 4G, at which time the keeper applies a rotative force tothe bolt. Thus, the continued closing movement of the door rotates thebolt 2! in a clockwise direction, enabling the tooth Zilb of Fig. 3 toelevate the wedge 52 towardthe retracted position by an amount suincientto let the bolt 2S rotate past the end of the wedge and bring the nextsuccessive bolt tooth inte cooperative relation to the rear face of thekeeper abutment 4l). The latter action also enables the spring |02 toagain force the wedge 52 downwardly into holding engagement with thebolt.

Assuming it is desired to render the outside handle ineffective torelease the bolt, the inside handle B may be moved in a non-retractingdirection, so as to rotate the lever 0 in a counterclockwise direction,as Viewed in Fig. 6.

This.

movement enables the end |08 of the lever to bear against the foot M36formed on the locking member i2 and force the latter downwardly to thepreviously described locking position shown in Fig. 4. Reverse movementof the handle 55 enables the end |58 of the lever H0 to bear against thefoot iiifi formed on the locking member l2 and elevate the latter to theunlocked position shown in Fig. 3. Also, and as previously mentioned, aclosing movement of the door, which rotates the bolt 2li in a clockwisedirection enables a tooth of the bz'lt to boar against the lower end ofthe locking portion i253 and elevate the locking member 'l2 to theunlocked position.

Although only a single specific embodiment of the invention has beendescribed in detail, it will appreciated that various modicationsl inthe form, number and arrangement of the parts may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is. cia-:fined is:

.T n a latch for association between two relatively movable parts. abolt carried by one part, said bolt having a rst position in which itcooperates with an associated keeper to restrain parts in closedposition and being movable from such position so as to enable it toclear said keeper and permit an opening movement of such parte, aholdingmember rnovably carried by said. part operatively associated with saidbolt ifi su i relation as to enable it to prevent a said znove'ffiert ofsaid bolt, an operator actuable to retract said holding member out ofcooperative relation to said bolt so as to enable a said movement ofbolt, locking means which normally occupies a retracted position out ofcooperative relation to said bolt but is movable from such retractedposition into a locking position in which it blocks a said movement ofsaid bolt despite the movement of the holding member out of cooperativerelation to the bolt caused by an actuation of the operator, and meansoperated as an incident to a closing movement of said parts forrestoring said locking means to the unlocked positic-n.

2. In a latch for association between two relatively movable parts, abolt carried by one part, said bolt having a first position in which itcooperates with an associated keeper to restrain said parts in closedposition and being movable from such position so as to enable it toclear said keeper and permit an opening movement of such parts, aholding member movably carried by said one part and operativelyassociated with said bolt in such relation as to enable it to prevent asaid movement of said bolt, an operator actuable to retract said holdingmember out of cooperative relation to said bolt so as to enable a saidmovement of Said bolt, locking means which normally occupies a retractedposition out or" cooperative relation to said bolt but is movable fromsuch retracted position into a locking position in which it blocks asaid movement of said bolt despite the movement of the holding memberout of cooperative relation to the bolt caused by an actuation of theoperator, said bolt being movable by said keeper` in a direction whichis the opposite of said first mentioned bolt movement during a closingmovement of said parts, and being effective during said last mentionedopposite direction of movement to restore said locking means to saidretracted position thereof.

ROLLO MARPLE.

D l S C L A l M E R 2,324,409.-ROZZO Marple, Jackson, Mich. LATCH.Patent dated July 13, 1943. Disclaimer filed June 7, 1944, by theassignee, Hancock Manufacturing Company. Hereby enters this disclaimerto claims 1 and 2 of said patent.

[Ojicz'al Gazette June 27, 1944.]

